General Should I or shouldn't I??????

[GMAN79]

Hi everyone ?
I'm new here, just joined today. Thought a forum would be a great place to start for some advice.
I have a Fiat Punto 1.2 16V Sporting which I have owned from new. It's on a T reg and was registered in May 1999. It's what I would call the mk1 v2. It has the black interior rather than the dodgy blue interior. It came from the factory with sunroof and full Abarth kit in the lovely broom yellow. I still have the original receipt and the order form from the factory. It has full Fiat service history up until around 10 years ago as I started servicing at my friends garage. The labour rate is a fraction of the price than Fiat main dealer lol
I am in a situation where I am asking myself, should I or shouldn't I..............sell it or keep it.
I have no idea what it's worth, either to a regular person or to an enthusiast, although I am old enough to know it's probably not worth much. It's not a GT.
It's come to a point that I have to spend money on it and I'm trying to decide if it's worth it or not.
It needs a bit of welding like most Puntos of this era due to rust. This is because I have had it parked for long periods of time, just driving it a few hundred miles a year. In addition, pretty much the whole car is original, original being genuine original fiat parts, most being the ones the car was manufactured with. This is with the exception of pads, discs and exhaust. So it needs new shocks and suspension, they are 22 years old, bless them.
The car also needs some TLC on the bodywork as it's had it's fair share of little dings and scratches while being parked up.
The only mods to the car are front debadge (I have the original Fiat badge), delocked doors (I have the original locks) and K&N Induction Kit (I have the original airbox).
I'm basically looking for peoples opinions on it's market value and whether it's worth spending money on.
Alternatively, if there is an enthusiast out there that wants a car as a project, I am open to entering a discussion.
I hope this post is in the right section, if not can you direct me to which section it should be in.
Thanks for reading and i look forward to hearing what you have to say.

 

[varesecrazy]

Hi G :wave:

As you say its certainly of an age

What mileage has it now covered?

We have a few keen 176 fans on here

Being 1 owner certainly has its benefits

Where has it been used?

Warm and dry.. cold and damp..??

Probably not coastal as its still in one piece

Charlie

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Hi Gman and welcome.

So, registered 1999? and you admit it's needing some welding. Is this just what you have observed or has someone had a really good look at it? Rust tends to operate on the "iceberg" principle, ie what you can easily see is often just the tip of it. Mechanical bits can often be sorted out at reasonable expense but once the tin worm really gets a hold you need very deep pockets if you can't do your own repairs.

This sounds a bit like the dilemma I find myself facing with nearly every car I own. I take ages deciding what to buy and research it to death before handing over the "readies" I then run the car until it becomes "uneconomic" to operate any longer. Usually it's rust which puts the "mockers" on it. My problem is that, over the years I get to know every nut, bolt, nook and cranny on the car and I get too emotionally involved with my cars so deciding to scrap or otherwise dispose of one feels like betraying an old friend - I suspect there may be an emotional element of this with you too?

I notice you are talking about the local garage doing your servicing so I'm guessing you're not out in your garage every weekend with your tools? If you're paying someone else it may not be worth it unless the body is in exceptional condition? Do keep us informed as to what you decide - Good luck

 

[macp]

Hi G :wave:

As you say its certainly of an age

What mileage has it now covered?

We have a few keen 176 fans on here

Being 1 owner certainly has its benefits

Where has it been used?

Warm and dry.. cold and damp..??

Probably not coastal as its still in one piece

Charlie

Excellent questions oh and we need pics please

 

[GMAN79]

Hi G :wave:

As you say its certainly of an age

What mileage has it now covered?

We have a few keen 176 fans on here

Being 1 owner certainly has its benefits

Where has it been used?

Warm and dry.. cold and damp..??

Probably not coastal as its still in one piece

Charlie

It's done 110k miles. Used in London all weathers.

 

[GMAN79]

Hi Gman and welcome.

So, registered 1999? and you admit it's needing some welding. Is this just what you have observed or has someone had a really good look at it? Rust tends to operate on the "iceberg" principle, ie what you can easily see is often just the tip of it. Mechanical bits can often be sorted out at reasonable expense but once the tin worm really gets a hold you need very deep pockets if you can't do your own repairs.

This sounds a bit like the dilemma I find myself facing with nearly every car I own. I take ages deciding what to buy and research it to death before handing over the "readies" I then run the car until it becomes "uneconomic" to operate any longer. Usually it's rust which puts the "mockers" on it. My problem is that, over the years I get to know every nut, bolt, nook and cranny on the car and I get too emotionally involved with my cars so deciding to scrap or otherwise dispose of one feels like betraying an old friend - I suspect there may be an emotional element of this with you too?

I notice you are talking about the local garage doing your servicing so I'm guessing you're not out in your garage every weekend with your tools? If you're paying someone else it may not be worth it unless the body is in exceptional condition? Do keep us informed as to what you decide - Good luck

Been looked at and it needs both sides doing. Middle and rest of car is ok for rust.

It's my first car purchased from new, so has a bit of sentimental value.

And my hands are made for computers lol. Me and tools are no good. Well, when it comes to cutting and welding a car anyway lol

 

[GMAN79]

Excellent questions oh and we need pics please

Is this pic ok? This was earlier this year when it was at the garage for a service. The bonnet is open a bit, it's not like that all the time lol

 

[Steve gt]

Hi welcome ?? Looks tidy in the photo, you’ve got some nice history with that punto, if it needs that amount of welding it will probably outweigh the value of it but it’s a shame if it couldn’t be done ??

 

[patches]

I have bought and sold many cars for sentimental reasons (and on one occasion bought one back after new owner abused it!). If you can, take it off the road for 4-6 months, store it somewhere safe and then revisit your questions. If you don't miss it and when you see it you don't get a sense of relief and happiness, pass it on to someone that it will make happy. Tough call as it is not ULEZ compliant so tough to justify although I am not getting rid of my Punto cabrio quite yet.

 

[GMAN79]

Hi everyone

Does anyone know where I can source the floor panels for my car?

I've tried Fiat who said they don't do them anymore. They directed me to FCAHeritage, who said my car isn't old enough. They then directed me to a couple of garages in Italy who haven't responded to my emails yet.

Someone somewhere must know where I can get them from

 

[blu73]

have you looked here https://www.carbodypanels4u.co.uk/fiat/punto/fiat-punto-3-door-hatchback-1994-1999

 

[Frank Folker]

https://www.trodo.com/body-floor-klokkerholm-2022761

Here's the rear left, i can't find the right one on that shop so here's another one.

https://www.bestpartstore.co.uk/9183697-klokkerholm-body-floor

You can google the part numbers to try to find a cheaper price